At the heart of the bankers’ beef is a belief that Johansson has not shown leadership as the company suffers from writedowns, missteps and p.r. nightmares.

About a week ago, Johansson hosted a conference call to address some of the unrest within the bank. However, the conversation devolved into a shouting match as some bankers blamed Johansson for their lack of bonuses and for the once-vaunted investment-banking franchise’s tarnished image.

“Johansson got very defensive,” telling staffers on the call that he was “doing the best I can,” said one source.

Said a UBS spokeswoman, “This is not an unusual occurrence after earnings. A robust and healthy debate in town halls, conference calls, and smaller groups is encouraged among senior management.”

After a year of retrenching, the bank is a fraction of what it used to be, with UBS having curtailed its fixed-income operations and cutting thousands of jobs.